Police are telling riders of the to be on the lookout for a thief who is targeting sleeping passengers. Tim Fleischer of ABC7 has more:

Police are warning subway riders to stay awake while on the train after a series of robberies targeting sleeping passengers.

The suspect took wallets and cell phones from his victims after cutting their pockets open with a sharp object.

Surveillance video shows the suspect police believe is responsible for at least seven incidents where he steals valuables from subway riders who have fallen asleep on overnight or early morning L-line trains.

The suspect is wanted for grand larceny in seven cases on the L-line.

The first incident was on February 18th. The last was on April 2nd.

The incidents occurred near the Sutter Avenue station, the Glenwood Road and Rockaway Parkway station, and the Farragut Road and East 105th Street station. Once the train stopped, the suspect fled.

This story resonates for me in a big way as I recall riding a packed 7 train around 3am one Sunday morning. I was sitting in the corner of the train & saw a guy get on & purposely sit next to someone opposite of me who was sleeping. I found it odd as it was a bit of a tight fit but within minutes I noticed why he chose to do so.

He covertly pulled out a sharp knife and gently started to cut into the guy’s pants to rob him. When I noticed him, I immediately woke the guy up & the thief got rattled and got off at the next stop. The rider thanked me as I saved him from that robbery. The thief was smooth so I am 100% confident he had done this successfully before. This is why I tell anyone I know to try their best to never sleep on public transportation.